and give me a job that was his will for me to do, so that I would again find joy in living on this earth. I said to God, “I submit completely to your will. What do you want me to do?”
Let me backtrack a moment and tell you that my true conversion to Christ came in 1973 through my then in-laws Betty and Joe O'Banion. In the midst of all our problems, they helped me understand that I should “let go and let God.” I had been a believer from my childhood, but in name only. I had not actually given my life over to God on a day-to-day basis to let his word and his healing direct my life. I finally realized that there was only so much I could do alone and that if I wanted to be able to face obstacles and challenges, I would need a spiritual anchor. I use the term anchor because I believe that God is not a crutch as some may feel. I give credit to God at all times for helping me handle whatever is happening even though there have been times I was sure he couldn't have been there with me when I was going through what I thought was more than I could handle. And I told him so many times.
I went to church as much as I could for many years. I would study the Bible when I could, either alone with tapes or with groups of people. But I was not a handing-out-pamphlets, witnessing-to-strangers, and praising-the-Lord type of Christian. I was not comfortable with the charismatic Christian behavior of raising my hands to the Lord. Nor was I ever able to be taken over by the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues—no matter how many times I pleaded. I still, however, had an abiding faith through all things that befell me that “all things work together for good for those who love God.” (Romans 8:28) And I knew I most certainly loved God. Sooner or later it would all be all right.
Back to the present…As the days went on, I kept trying to find work. Friends were making sure that I ate at least as well as my pets. They were giving me money for gas for my car though I hadn't been able to afford the smog certificate, registration, or auto insurance. I also prayed that I would not be caught by the police and lose my license or worse yet, have an accident of any type while I was out trying to find work. The saying “When it rains, it pours” has applied to me on more than one occasion. I continued to hang in there as I always had and kept thanking God for what I did have. And then it happened!
The date was October 20, 1994, and I was at home. Things hadn't changed much. It had been approximately two or three weeks since I'd prayed the “I wish you'd take me” prayer. I was lying in bed at 10 p.m., writing my thoughts in a journal. (I have done this for years as a way to express my feelings, to sort things out, to let go of anger, to ask questions that I have no answers for, and generally just to vent.)
As I started my third paragraph, I stopped to think. My hand was still on the paper, but I hadn't yet formulated what I wanted to write next. All of a sudden my hand began to move by itself, and I watched in wonder as it spelled out in capital letters “IMMORTAL MAN.” The next thing I knew, my hand and arm crossed the paper and wrote “LaurahereandTomYoungertoo.” The words were not separated. They were grouped together in one long, smooth sentence. There was no punctuation. I couldn't believe my eyes.
I began to pray out loud, “Lord God in Heaven, please let whatever is happening here be of you and from you. I pray this in your son's name.” Then I remembered the words of the angels: “Your mission and service to the Creator will be forthcoming and will be prepared for you by the angels who will soon follow us and come to you.” The handwriting continued: “We are the ones the angels of God told you (Sunni) would bring you your mission.”
Since I was a born-again Christian, I knew that a spiritual gift like this one could also come from evil forces. I enlisted the help of a pastor friend of mine to test these spirits. Together for a period of over two months, we rebuked them in Jesus’ name and asked them questions from Scripture. Only after this testing did we become fully convinced that they were, indeed, angels of God. What also helped to convince us was that these angels themselves told me that each time I allow them to use my hand I must first test them as Scripture indicates (1 John 4:1-3). At last, fully satisfied and with the blessing of my pastor friend, I gave myself over to God, his son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
The gifts the Lord has blessed me with since that time back in 1994 now include automatic writing, clairaudience, discernment, and the ability to call in a specific spirit for a session. Over the years hundreds of the bereaved have been greatly comforted by communicating with their loved ones through my God-given gifts. I feel so fulfilled, blessed, and humbled by it all.
 | The Face of Jesus |
Anthony “Bo” DeCarbo Sr.
Pennsylvania
The day started out like any other. I lived a very hectic, active lifestyle in September 2000. In addition to my job as a full-time dispatcher with the Pennsylvania State Police, I was also a crematorium manager for my cousin's funeral home and kept busy volunteering at my church. There were never enough hours in the day.
But my life would soon come to an unexpected halt. When I was leaving my job as a dispatcher on September 25, a co-worker remarked, “I'll see you tonight.” To this I replied, “If God wants us to.” To this day, I don't know why I said this. But looking back, it is obvious that this was a premonition of sorts. The next day I woke up feeling as if I had acid reflux. Only it wasn't acid reflux, and surprisingly, I went on to suffer a major heart attack and was rushed by ambulance to the local hospital.
Doctors detected a heartbeat, but no brain stem activity which means there is no reaction to a stimulus. As a result, I was given less than a 1 percent chance of survival. I then needed to be transferred to a hospital that specialized in cardiac care. Several hospitals declined to take me because of the lack of brain stem activity, but I was eventually transferred to a hospital in Pittsburgh. Meanwhile a priest was called to give me my last rites. All the while my family and friends prayed feverishly for me, and a steady stream of visitors came to my bedside showing their support.
Through it all my wife Sandy refused to accept that I might not make it and continued to keep the faith. I was then taken to yet another hospital and another team of heart specialists. This time the doctor informed my wife that they had found brain stem activity. There was hope at this point, and my wife told everyone to keep praying for me.
Tests revealed that 99 percent of one of my secondary arteries was blocked. Doctors needed to insert a stent which works to open up the artery. I spent several days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). One morning, while still in ICU, I managed to get up out of bed, and I made my way over to the window. My room was on the eighth floor, and I happened to notice a helicopter lifting off in the distance. As I stood there curiously watching the helicopter, the face of a man suddenly appeared in the window.
Wearing a veil over his head and a beard, he had piercing dark eyes. Both astonished and shocked, I realized that I was looking at the face of Jesus. My whole body felt weak, and my heart began to race like crazy. I was wearing a heart monitor and knew someone would be coming in at any moment to check on me.
At this point, I looked at him and asked, “Are you here for me?” Jesus gave me a warm smile from the right side of his face and replied, “I am here for you but not in the way that you think. I'm here to let you know I am always with you.” He then disappeared.
I sat back down on the bed, sweating with my heart still pounding. Mere words cannot describe both the amazement and the gratitude that I felt at that moment. I honestly didn't know what to think. Even though I knew it had happened, I kept questioning myself. I mean why would Jesus come to visit me? Who am I to deserve this?
Afterwards a priest came to see me, and I told him what had happened. He replied, “What makes you think that it didn't happen?” I realized then that I needed to trust what I knew in my heart. God was
